More than 120 experts from 55 cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) gathered in Sarajevo for a three-day event that also marked the official launch of a new European Union (EU) – funded programme, “Enhancing Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in BiH,” worth 7.5 million euros.
The programme is one of the key pillars of the Gender Equality Accelerator – a joint programme co-financed by the EU, Sweden, and Denmark, and implemented by United Nations (UN) Women, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF, within the UN cooperation with the institutions of BiH.
Over the course of three days, representatives of the relevant ministries, social protection and justice institutions, police, healthcare institutions, safe houses, organisations led by survivors of violence and women’s human rights organisations, as well as organisations working with Roma communities, women with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ persons, youth and religious communities, worked together to identify key gaps and design a concrete path toward a protection and support system that is truly survivor-centred – in every community.
The roadmap aims to ensure that over the next three and a half years, the current fragmented, individual responses to gender-based violence in BiH grow into a harmonised protection system that is survivor-centred and economically empowers them.
Focus on system coordination
It is focused on establishing real coordination and a joint information system between the police, judiciary, social protection, healthcare and safe houses, as well as other local services such as public kitchens, which can provide urgent material support and be included in referring women to the competent services, and on introducing trauma-informed practices and creating sustainable economic pathways for women who have survived violence.
It also places emphasis on long-term partnerships with communities and groups facing multiple discrimination, in order to change social norms and reduce tolerance for violence.
Samra Filipovic-Hadziabdic, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH at the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, said that BiH has taken on clear obligations through the Istanbul Convention and the Law on Gender Equality, but that many women still experience violence and do not enjoy equal protection.
“The EU programme, as well as the entire Gender Equality Accelerator, is key for building a coordinated, multisectoral response and turning those obligations into real safety and support for all women, especially those who are most marginalised,” she emphasised.
The programme will help ensure that women experiencing violence can more easily access quality and available support in the social and healthcare protection systems, through the judiciary and public policies. The focus is on making assistance faster, more coordinated, and truly tailored to the needs of survivors. At the same time, the programme will support key legal reforms, improve economic opportunities for survivors and, in cooperation with civil society organisations and local partners, work on long-term changes to the social norms that justify or silently accept violence.
EU supports strengthening institutional responses
Adebayo Babajide, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the EU to BiH, emphasised that ending violence against women and girls is a fundamental European value and an obligation on BiH’s path toward the EU.
“With an investment of 7.5 million euros, the EU is supporting the strengthening of institutional responses to gender-based violence in BiH, including safer services, support for survivors and economic opportunities for women,” he stated.
He added that this project also supports key reforms that BiH needs to implement – from human rights and combating discrimination to social protection and the rule of law – because violence against women and girls has no place in our society.
Launched during the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence,” the consultative event comes at a time of growing concern over femicide and other forms of violence against women and girls in BiH.
The Gender Equality Accelerator was developed precisely in response to this alarming trend, and the EU programme for gender equality and social support represents a central part of joint efforts to ensure that institutions act earlier, more harmonised and more effectively – to prevent violence and ensure protection for every woman who has survived violence.
“Violence against women in BiH remains a serious challenge, and gaps in the protection and support system leave many survivors without timely help, which was also recognised in the EU’s 2025 Report on BiH. The launch of the EU Programme for Gender Equality and Social Protection is an important step toward overcoming these shortcomings, as it strengthens services for the most vulnerable women – especially Roma women, women with disabilities, and women in rural areas,” stated Joan Bishop, UN Women Representative in BiH.
The priorities identified during this consultative event will guide the implementation of this EU programme and the broader Gender Equality Accelerator, turning dialogue into concrete changes on the ground, Federalna writes.
